Billet feed system for rolling mills

ABSTRACT

Before the billets to be rolled down in a roll train reach the first roll stand they travel through a de-scaling device behind which the billets leaving the furnace run out freely. The billets are moved out of the furnace oppositely to the rolling direction and are conveyed crosswise on a rollway disposed in front of the de-scaling device and whose extension toward the first roll stand is located within the furnace chamber.

United States Patent Neumann [4 1 July 1 1, 1972 54] BILLET FEED SYSTEM FOR ROLLING [56] References Cited MILLS UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 lnvenm" Klaus mum", Am Kiwterhang, 1,466,018 8/1923 Hepburn ..214/1 8 R many 1,739,250 12/1929 Menne .2 14/1 8 R [73] Assignee: Moeller 8: Neumann Gmbl-l, lngbert/Saar, 1,808,033 6/1931 George et 114/13 R Germany 1,965,868 7/1934 Vickers 214/18 R 1,989,532 1/1935 Smitmans ..72/200 [221 Flled= 3,154,298 l0/l964 Amadieu 1.2 14/18 R [21] App1.No.; 42,784

Primary Examiner,Gerald Dost Foreign Appucafion Horny Dam Anorney.lohn .1. Dennemeyer June 4, 1969 Germany ..P 19 28 510.0 [57] ABSTRACT Before the billets to be rolled down in a roll train reach the [52] U.S. Cl ..266/l3, 72/202, 72/250, first to Stand y travel through a de scaling device behind 263/6 R 214/23 I 5 l 1 Int Cl czld 7/14 which the billets leaving the furnace run out freely. The billets [58] Fieid I250 200 are moved out of the furnace oppositely to the rolling 2 14/ 263/6 i 6 direction and are conveyed crosswise on a rollway disposed in front of the de-scaling device and whose extension toward the first roll stand is located within the furnace chamber.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 1: 1:: I: D I: I3 6 13 E 4 2% T :2, 1 1 1 1' 11 I C1 il 1|! Q I11 In 3 1 H I 1 e: 20 111 1 HEAL, H 7 2 72 D I 17 PATENTEDJUL 1 1 m2 mmm zmommm gw mm Fig. 3

BILLET FEED SYSTEM FOR ROLLING MILLS The invention relates to a billet feed system for rolling mills and particularly to an arrangement for feeding billets from a furnace. The furnace may be a so-called ram furnace with an ejector mechanism but an oscillating bed furnace can also be used within the scope of the invention, in which the billets fall along a chute to the feed rollway of the first roll stand. The features of the present invention are however explained in conjunction with a ram furnace.

Especially with a continuous steel rod or wire train the first roll stand is usually arranged as near as possible to the ejector opening of the furnace in order that a substantial length of the billet remains as long as possible in the furnace to allow for the slow entry speed of the first roll stand. This requirement which has heretofore been regarded as inevitable has however disadvantageous effects on the temperature control since the billets must be de-scaled after leaving the furnace. Owing to the slow entry speed of the billets into the first roll stand the travel time of the billets through the de-scaling device is also very great 'whereby there is a substantial loss of temperature by the action of the spray water. Further de-scaling as such is also unsatisfactory since the billets are still too hot. It is known that scale is best freed when the roll product has been subjected for some time to the action of air in order that the scale forms a skin which can be completely removed by the spray water.

The object of the invention is to provide an arrangement for feeding billets from a furnace to the first roll stand of a roll train arranged near the furnace, which takes into account the low entry speed of the material into the first roll stand called for, for example, by the laws of continuous rolling, but avoids an unduly great loss of temperature by a de-scaling procedure, and furthermore de-scales the billets more efficiently than heretofore. In order to do this the invention provides a first rollway arranged on the side of the furnace remote from the roll stand, which carries the billets away from the furnace oppositely to the rolling direction, as well as a second feed rollway connected to the first rollway by means of cross feeders or the like, and arranged in advance of the roll stand and within which a de-scaling device is provided beyond which the billets run out freely. In this way the following advantages are obtained:

l. The billets ejected oppositely to the rolling direction or thosetaken from an oscillating bed furnace can dwell as long as required on the first rollway and the cross feeder in order that easily removable scale layers are produced. The subsequent de-scaling is therefore far more satisfactory than before.

2. The loss of temperature during the dwell period of the billets on the first rollway and the cross feed device is substantially compensated by the fact that the billets can quickly traverse the de-scaling device arranged in the second feed rollway, since beyond the de-scaling device, that is before the first roll stand, a free run-off of the billets is provided for.

Experience has shown that despite the reversal of the billets contrary to the rolling direction over the two rollways running in opposite directions and connected by a cross feeder, the billets have a higher temperature when they reach the first roll stand than was previously possible when rolling from a furnace provided with an interposed de-scaling device. Furthermore the part of the feed rollway extending in the rolling direction covered by the width of the furnace, is arranged to run within the furnace chamber through an enlargement of the furnace in order to avoid a fall in temperature at the rear end of the billet as was previously obtained during the slow entry of the billet into the first roll stand.

The constructional examples of arrangements according to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows the known arrangement for feeding billets from a ram furnace,

FIG. 2 shows the arrangement according to the invention in conjunction with a ram furnace, and

FIG. 3 shows the new arrangement in conjunction with an oscillating bed furnace as seen in the direction of the two rollways.

The known arrangement according to FIG. 1 comprises a ram furnace 2' with an ejector machine 3 which pushes the billets out of the furnace 2 in the rolling direction. The billets pass first through a de-scaling device 4' and then into a first roll stand 5 of an associated roll train, said stand being placed near the furnace so that the travel time of the billets through the de-scaling device 4' depends on the entry speed of the first roll stand 5 and is necessarily considerable.

The same ram furnace 2 is shown more completely in FIG. 2 with the last three rolls of the billet feed rollway 6 and the billet pusher bar 7. The ejector mechanism is arranged according to the invention so that the billets are ejected from the furnace 2 oppositely to the rolling direction and are received by a first rollway 8 arranged on the opposite side of the furnace to the first roll stand 5. The billets can be transferred from this first rollway 8 to a second rollway 10, running parallel to the billet feed rollway 6, by means of a cross feeder 9, which rollway 10 is the feed rollway for the first stand 5 of the roll train and lies in the rolling line thereof. A de-scaling device 4 is arranged within the delivery rollway 10, the part of which is covered by the width of the furnace 2 and extends within an enlargement 2a thereof. A drum deflector 11 or the like is arranged in front of the first roll stand 5 for distributing the billets to various calibres of the first roll stand 5 in the case of multi-core rolling.

The method of operation of the arrangement according to the invention is as follows: the billets arriving on the rollway 6 pass into the furnace 2 and are conveyed through the latter in the direction of the arrow by the pusher bar 7. A billet l2 placed in front of the ejector mechanism 3 is transferred during ejection on to the first rollway 8 from which it passes on to the delivery rollway 10 by means of the cross feeder 9. The time during which a billet is located on the rollways 8 and 10 as well as the cross feeder 9 is decisive for the formation of a skin on the scale and can be selected as desired.

For de-scaling, the billet passes through the de-scaling device 4 at high speed since it can run out freely on the part 10a of the feed rollway 10. From this point onwards the billet passes over the drum deflector 1 l to the first roll stand 5 of the associated roll train and it is heated up in the extended part 2a of the furnace. The extended part 2a of the furnace can be divided from the rest of the furnace chamber so that its temperature is lower than that in the main furnace chamber. As will be seen the ejector mechanism 3 is arranged approximately beside the first roll stand 5 of the roll train in constructional arrangements of the invention with a ram furnace 2.

The constructional example according to FIG. 3 is concerned with an arrangement employing an oscillating bed furnace 14 in which the billets pass over a chute 15 on to the first rollway 16 which commences already beneath the furnace l4 and is extended in the same way as the rollway 8 in FIG. 2. The delivery rollway 17 is arranged in an extended furnace chamber 14a which extends over the first rollway 16. FIG. 3 shows also the outlet opening 14b of the furnace 14.

Because of the height difference between the first rollway l6 and the delivery rollway 17 the functions of the cross feeder device 9 of FIG. 2 are carried out by means of a chain feeder 18 with lifting members 18a which receives the billets from the first rollway 16, which is conveniently provided with tapered or inclined rolls, and conveys them over a chute 20 to the delivery rollway 17 at the higher level whereby the difference in the height is allowed for. r

In the constructional example of FIG. 3 the position of the de-scaling device 4 is the same as in FIG. 2.

I claim:

1. An arrangement for feeding billets from a furnace to the first roll stand of a roll train arranged on one side of the furnace, comprising: a first rollway means positioned on the side of the furnace opposite the roll stand for receiving and conveying the billets from the furnace in a direction opposite to the rolling direction, a second rollway connected to the first rollway by cross feeder means and arranged in front of the roll stand, a de-scaling device in the path of said second rollway, whereby the billets run freely beyond the de-scaling device, a portion of said second rollway extending transverse to the furnace, said portion of said second rollway running transverse to the furnace passing through a portion of the furnace chamber.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said furnace is a ram furnace, and including means for ejecting said billets, said ejecting means being positioned approximately adjacent to the roll stand.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said furnace is an oscillating bed furnace, a chute means for receiving emerging billets positioning the billets on said first rollway, said first rollway being positioned below said furnace.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3 wherein a portion of said furnace extends over said first rollway, said second rollway positioned on a level above said first rollway, and wherein said cross feeder means raises the billets from said first rollway to said second rollway. 

1. An arrangement for feeding billets from a furnace to the first roll stand of a roll train arranged on one side of the furnace, comprising: a first rollway means positioned on the side of the furnace opposite the roll stand for receiving and conveying the billets from the furnace in a direction opposite to the rolling direction, a second rollway connected to the first rollway by cross feeder means and arranged in front of the roll stand, a de-scaling device in the path of said second rollway, whereby the billets run freely beyond the de-scaling device, a portion of said second rollway extending transverse to the furnace, said portion of said second rollway running transverse to the furnace passing through a portion of the furnace chamber.
 2. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said furnace is a ram furnace, and including means for ejecting said billets, said ejecting means being positioned approximately adjacent to the roll stand.
 3. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said furnace is an oscillating bed furnace, a chute means for receiving emerging billets positioning the billets on said first rollway, said first rollway being positioned below said furnace.
 4. An arrangement according to claim 3 wherein a portion of said furnace extends over said first rollway, said second rollway positioned on a level above said first rollway, and wherein said cross feeder means raises the billets from said first rollway to said second rollway. 